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Strawberries
U-Pick or We-Pick
Strawberries are usually in season from late April through mid June, but sometimes earlier or later depending on the weather. We offer the option to pick them yourself, or to pick them up off the table.
We are generally open during strawberry season Mondays through Saturdays or until we are picked out. It's always best to check facebook or call ahead to see if we are picked out. The message on the answering machine at (919)732-7701 is updated daily.
We grow about 2 acres of strawberries, and the variety we plant is called Chandler. Each year we look forward to a busy and great strawberry season. Children with juice dripping down their chins and our friends and neighbors carrying out baskets full of red, ripe berries make the season worthwhile. Read on to find out more about the growing process.
The Strawberry Growing Cycle
The strawberries are planted around the first week in October. They are grown in raised beds covered with plastic with watering tubes in them. This drip irrigation system allows us to ensure that the strawberries have an adequate supply of water and nutrients. Our strawberry tips come from Prince Edward Island in Canada, and then are grown to the size plants that are ready for the field by another grower in North Carolina. Once the plants are delivered, the strawberries plugs are loaded up and ready to go into our soil in the field.
In the fall, the plants grow some and develop the crowns that determine how much the plants will yield in the spring. Then as the weather gets colder, the plants go dormant until sometime in March.
In the spring once the plants start growing again, if the temperature gets below 25 degrees we have to cover them with row covers. Once the blooms are out, if it gets below 35 degrees we also have to cover the strawberry plants to protect the blooms.
Honeybees and other pollinators help the wind with the pollination of the strawberry blooms. We also use integrated pest management (IPM) to keep the strawberry plants healthy. One way we do this is by putting predatory mites on the strawberries; they eat a type of mite that causes harm to the berries by sapping the plant's energy.
The weather and pests are ongoing challenges, but our tasty strawberries are worth it. We hope to see you at the patch!
Frequently Asked Questions During Strawberry Season
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What are your hours?We strongly recommend checking facebook or calling ahead (919-732-7701) for the latest updates, especially on Saturdays.
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Which strawberries should I pick?The red ones taste the best! We will direct you to a row in the field and have you move a flag from where you start picking to where you finish; that way we can keep track of where the ripe berries are.
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Do you provide containers or should we bring our own?We provide containers for you to pick in and take the berries home in if you would like to pick your own. We strongly encourage customers to bring back their baskets year after year, and we have customers who still bring the same ones they used in our very first year!
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Can I pick my own berries?/ Do I have to pick my own berries?We offer the opportunity to pick-your-own berries or purchase them pre-picked. Unfortunately we are not able to take orders for pre-picked berries. We generally try to have pre-picked berries available.
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Who can pick berries?All ages visit our farm to pick strawberries. Unfortunately, pets are not allowed in the patch.
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What else do you grow besides strawberries?We will have lettuce and other spring vegetables available at the start of the season, and later in the year we will have squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, okra, cantaloupes, and many other crops. We also have cut flowers, and frozen beef and lamb.
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